British, German and French adults are more likely to seek holidays abroad for beach life of eating, drinking and sunbathing, whereas Spanish holidaymakers are more likely to seek out culture in other lands, according to new research.
30% of British adults have taken a holiday (of five days or more) abroad in the past 12 months, slightlyfewer than in Germany (33%), but significantly more than in France (23%) and Spain (17%). Only 26% of Brits remain in Great Britain for their holidays, in sharp contrast to the 52% of French, 53% of Spanish and 36% of Germans who stay in their own country.
The subconscious drivers behind these holiday habits, as well as almost all kinds of consumer behaviour, are revealed in new insights, called ‘Social DNA’, from Kantar Media’s TGI Europa study. Social DNA is represented by the amount and mix of consumers’ economic clout and their cultural characteristics (referred to respectively as economic and cultural capital).
Social DNA shows that, across the key European markets, adults who go on holiday, whether at home or abroad, are likely to have particularly high economic and cultural capital compared to the average adult in that country. However, it also points to some significant variations:
• British, German and French adults who holiday abroad are especially likely to be driven by a high level of economic capital, compared to the average adult in that market, whilst those in these countries who holiday at home display more of a bias towards cultural capital.
• The reason for this curious discrepancy can be explained in part by the findings that 18% of British, German and French adults who holiday abroad wish to take a break where they can just eat, drink and lie in the sun. Only 13% of these nationalities who holiday in their own country opt for the same activities, indicating they may prefer a more cultural break.
• In Spain, both those who holiday abroad and those who holiday at home are particularly likely to have high cultural capital. One reason for Spanish adults bucking the trend is that beach holidays abroad hold less appeal to them than for people in less sunny climes. Only 24% of Spanish who holiday abroad choose a beach or resort holiday, compared to 46% of Brits who holiday outside their own country.
With Spain such a popular destination for beach holidays amongst other Europeans, this may explain why economic capital predominates as a driver for non-Spanish holidaymakers who travel abroad.
Richard Keogh, Head of TGI UK, comments: “For brands, understanding what prompts particular consumer behaviour at the most fundamental level in different markets is critical to local success. By measuring all kinds of consumer behaviour, along with the subconscious and rational drivers of that behaviour across the most lucrative European markets, TGI gives advertisers, agencies and media owners the means to tailor their targeting and messaging by country.”
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